Our Last Summer
by LadyOlanthe
Summary: For as long as they can remember, Rachel Berry and Quinn Fabray have been the best of friends. The summer before their senior year, and tragedy hits. AU. Faberry FRIENDSHIP with other pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**Our Last Summer  
by LadyOlanthe**

**Summary:** A story about friendship, love, sisterhood, and tragedy; For as long as they can remember, Rachel Berry and Quinn Fabray have been the best of friends. The summer before their senior year, and tragedy hits the pair. So they skip out of Lima, Ohio in search of one's long-lost mother and try to enjoy every moment of what could possibly be their very last summer together. Put drama, first-love, angst, tragedy, and a healthy dose of "sisterhood" together and you have "Our Last Summer". AU Finnchel, Fabrevans, Quick, Shelby/Rachel family, and Faberry friendship.

**xxx**

**A/N: Thank you for coming to read my story. I've been throwing around SO MANY ideas for a glee fic, mostly Romantic, but they never seemed to work. Then I came to realize that my favorite glee fics are usually the frienship ones that had some romance, but centered on friendship more. So I started thinking and I came up with this. This is based on a couple of ideas from seperate movies/books/even some fics. **

**Here's a little background (forgive me if this is long): It takes place the summer before Rachel and Quinn's senior year. Quinn is incredibly OOC (though she can be HBIC sometimes, mainly when it comes to Rachel). Rachel isn't as over-bearing. They go to McKinley High and Quinn ISN'T a Cheerio, but is generally liked. No one is really mean to Rachel because she's friends with Quinn. Quinn and Puck have been dating and they had a baby (Beth), but they gave her up and they don't know who has her or her name. No one knows Shelby, and it's unknown whether Shelby has Beth or not. They don't know Finn, Sam, Kurt, or Mercedes(they don't live in Lima). Blaine is Quinn's brother. Jesse is sort of the Finn of New Directions. Quinn isn't in the glee club; no one knows if she sings. Quinn is an artist. Santana and Brittany are best friends and used to torment Rachel until Quinn, who was a cheerio at some point but isn't anymore, intervened. **

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Glee. But I do own the Season 1 Volume 1: Road to Sectionals DVD if that's any consolation...No? I thought so...**

**Please enjoy and R & R-but please, no heavy criticism.**

**btw, I'll try to make the chapters long so you can enjoy them more. ;) **

**xxx**

**Chapter One: A Promise**

For as long as Quinn Fabray can remember, she and Rachel Berry had been the best of friends. It had all started when they were both five. It was a hot, summer afternoon-the kind where the sun was blazing up above and it caused the metal of the playground equipment to "sizzle". Quinn had gone to spend the day at the park with her two neighbors, Santana and Brittany. She never really considered them to be her "best friends", they were barely even just her "friends", but Quinn tolerated them. So when they had begged her to walk with them to the playground, Quinn just nodded, like the good Christian girl she was raised as should do.

She would stand behind them, walking after them as they hopped up ahead, and would watch them. The two girls were almost like twins-though they looked nothing alike, one was Latina and the other was as white and as blonde as they come-wearing the same clothes and bouncing around with their pinkies linked to one another. They giggled the same way, liked the same shows, and even had a crush on the same guy-a young Noah Puckerman who's mohawk gave him the image of Lima's little bad boy, gaining him the rep of being the town's "greatest mini-catch".

In short, Brittany and Santana were more than just "accquaintences" or "friends"-they were _best friends_.

And Quinn longed for a best friend.

Sure, the blonde was very popular; so popular, that Noah Puckerman-along with all the other five year olds-only had eyes for her. She was already classically pretty, for someone of her young age, with her honey blonde hair, that fell in perfect and gentle waves to her shoulders, and her glowing hazel eyes, perfectly arched brows, and soft pink lips. Quinn Fabray was, in short, a perfect child. It was a wonder why her parents hadn't shipped her off to take part in one of those nation wide beauty pageants, but they decided to be humble and settle for "Miss Lima" instead.

But all this popularity and attention didn't do anything for Quinn, who was humble for her youth. Quinn just wanted what Brittany and Santana had, someone to hook her pinky too and to dance around with.

Upon arriving in the park, Brittany and Santana had secured three swings for the trio. Santana and Brittany sat side by side and continued to giggle and talk as they swung. Quinn just sat in her lonely swing and looked at her shoes, nudging her toes further into the dirt.

It had been about 10 minutes of sitting there in silence and alone before Quinn had heard a sort of commotion; one that would bring Quinn to find what she had been looking and would set up one of the greatest friendships known in Lima.

"Hey! Leave me alone! Give it back!" a shrill and young voice called from the other side of the playground. Quinn's head snapped up and she followed the noise to the jungle gym. Sitting there, underneath the large climbing cage and covered in wood chips and dirt, was a little girl. The girl was smaller than Quinn was, but she could tell that she was her age. She had thick brunette hair and large dark eyes. The most noticable feature of this little girl was her nose, a clear jewish nose.

Surrounding the girl were three recognizable boys-Matt Rutherford, a dark skinned and rather quiet boy who had a sweet smile, Quinn always noted, and Mike Chang, a lanky asian who was also pretty quiet and had a knack for dancing. The third of these boys was none other than that Noah Puckerman, preferrably called "Puck".

Puck, Matt and Mike were tossing around a stuffed toy. It looked a lot like a rag doll, but with blondeish hair and a larger nose, much like the girl's own. In the doll's hand was a microphone.

Santana and Brittany had stopped swinging and also turned their attention to the group at the other side.

Santana snickered, "Oh that Puckerman! Serves that girl right, she's a loser!" The Latina then stuck her tounge out in the girl's direction and began to swing again.

"Wait, who is she?" Brittany asked in her blank and vague voice.

Santana rolled her eyes, "Berry, Brit. She's Rachel Berry? She's the weird girl with two dads? Ring a bell!"

"Oh yeah," Brittany said before adding some unintelligent statement. Quinn didn't bother to pay attention. She looked over to Rachel Berry being terrorized by Puck and his gang.

After a minute of observing, her heart turning hard in anger, Quinn stood up and walked over to where the boys were crowding Rachel.

"Give her back!" Rachel demanded, tears rolling down her cheeks. Where were the parents?

"Make me!" sneered Puck, catching the doll and holding it high above his head. He smirked at Rachel, teasingly.

"Leave her alone, Puck, and give her the toy," Quinn said in that icy tone, one that would become rather infamous in Lima when the girl was older.

The mohawk-clad boy whirled around in suprise and looked at Quinn. "Q-Q-Quinn! I didn't know you were here!" Puck said, nervously. He hid the doll behind his back, but still well out of reach for the crying brunette. "What's new? Maybe we can hang out under the slide later? I'm a little busy right now." He said the last part in a low and threatening voice.

Quinn just glared at him-another soon to be infamous Quinn Fabray trademark-and put her hand out, "Give me the doll, Puck."

There was a moment of silence and the boy looked as if he was genuinely comtemplating whether to give Quinn the doll or not. Finally, and with a groan, he gave up-but not before throwing the doll down into the dirt and stomping on it.

Without another word, Puck and his two friends walked away.

Quinn turned to Rachel. The girl was still sitting there, dirty and crying. She sighed and grabbed the dirtied doll, using a hankerchief she had in her pocket to clean most of it off. She inspected the doll when she was finished. It was still slightly dirty, but generally satisfactory.

With her most friendly, small smile, Quinn leaned down next to Rachel and handed her the doll. "Here. I tried to clean it. I'm sorry about what Puck and his friends did. I'll make sure he doesn't bother you anymore."

Rachel looked up, her face smudged with dirt streaks and tear stains. Quinn's heart throbbed for the other five year old. Those boys were really cruel.

She helped Rachel to her feet and handed her another hankerchief-one that Quinn had stolen from her dad just before leaving the house with Brit and San-and handed it to Rachel. "Here, use this to clean up."

Rachel just nodded and began to whip her face. The girls sat down silently on a bench. Quinn noticed how San and Brit were staring at her-like she was a monster or something-and how Puck would occasionally look at her the same way. What was so wrong with helping out Rachel Berry?

Quinn was still holding the doll, but she felt it being taken from her loose grip. She turned to see that Rachel had a clean face and was now smiling at her. "Thank you for helping me. Nobody ever does that for me." Quinn smiled, but her smile faded when Rachel looked down at her lap and said, "Nobody likes me."

Why? Quinn wanted to say, but instead she looked away. It became quiet, but Quinn broke the silence by finally saying, "I like you."

Rachel turned to Quinn and gave her a huge brilliant smile-no doubt a soon to be trademark of Rachel Berry's. Quinn returned it with her own smile.

"What's your doll's name?" Quinn suddenly asked. She didn't recognize the doll from anywhere.

Rachel blushed, "Her name is Barbara Streisand. She's a doll that my daddy made. He makes toys. We own Berry's toy store, you know."

"Is she a singer?" Quinn asked, noting the microphone.

Rachel giggled, "Yeah, silly!" The two girls laughed before it grew quiet again.

"I'm Quinn Fabray. I live in the really big house two blocks from here," Quinn said, turning to face Rachel. She stuck her hand out to the girl.

"I'm Rachel Berry. I live in the apartment above our toy shop," she giggled before grabbing Quinn's hand and shaking it. "It's nice to meet you."

Quinn nodded before letting go and turning away. "You know, Rachel, I have a good feeling about us," Quinn said after a long moment.

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked, hugging her doll closely.

"I think we're going to be best friends," Quinn said.

Rachel was shocked. She never had a best friend, let alone a friend. She didn't know what to do or say.

Let's say it came as a surprise when she burst into tears.

"What's wrong?" Quinn asked, turning to the other girl with concern.

Rachel whiped away her tears and looked at Quinn, "I've never had a friend."

"Well...Now you do. And not just any friend, a best friend!" Quinn said.

Rachel looked away for a moment, thinking. Then she turned back to Quinn and put out her pinky. "Promise?"

Quinn bit her lip and thought about it. But then again, why should she think about it? She smiled and hooked her pinky around the other girl's.

"Promise."

Quinn kept her promise. She and Rachel stayed bestfriends. They always played together during recess and on weekends they had play dates. Quinn would ride her bike over to Berry's Toy Store and hang out with Rachel up stairs. Rachel had dozens of toys, all of which her father, Leroy, had made. Rachel would be dropped off at Quinn's house and they would run around and terrorize the maids and the butler, Gene. Quinn's older sister, Sarah, who was about 11 years older than them, would take the girls on drives and they would sing songs at the tops of their lungs. That's when Quinn noticed what a talented singer Rachel was.

They took the same classes during middle school and they always sat next to each other. They would take each other's busses and hang out together every afternoon.

But when the girls were reaching high school, they couldn't help but notice how different they had become.

Rachel was a rising star. She sang in all the choirs, starred in all the school plays and was in all advance classes.

Quinn had become more social and popular. She was now in the cheerleading squad-head cheerleader, in fact-and she was dating Puck.

The girls, however, weren't drifting from one another. They stayed the best of friends. Quinn stood up for Rachel when she was being terrorized by the jocks-whom had become accostomed to this new craze known as "slushy facials". Rachel had helped Quinn study and bring up her grades. Soon Quinn and Rachel were in the same advanced classes.

The only things that Quinn and Rachel didn't share were Cheerios and Glee. That, and, of course, boyfriends.

Quinn had started dating Puck after he "changed his ways" and apologized to Rachel for being a jerk to her. They had been together since freshman year.

Rachel had started dating Jesse St. James. Jesse was a handsome boy with thick dark hair and the smoothest and most heart-breaking singing voice she had ever heard in her life. Quinn had regarded them as "musical soul mates".

It was in their sophmore year that Rachel broke up with Jesse.

It was also in their sophmore year that Quinn had made a huge mistake and nearly lost her whole entire life.

Quinn had become pregnant that year...With Noah Puckerman's baby. The two struggled, especially Quinn, through 9 grueling months of ridicule, family judgement, lack of support, and the woes of hormonal pregnancy.

But no matter what, Rachel stayed by Quinn. Puck wasn't always there, but Rachel was. Quinn came to find that that was all that mattered, having Rachel there.

Rachel was there throughout the whole pregnancy. She was there when she took the test. She was there when Quinn's parents kicked her out. She was there when Quinn's parents went through a divorce. She was there when Quinn's body started changing. She was there whenever Puck would fight with and break Quinn's heart. She was there when Quinn went into labor.

Rachel was always with Quinn. Quinn promised to give her friendship, and, in return, Rachel promised to always be there for her friend-even if she hadn't verbally made that promise.

That was about a year ago, and, since then, Quinn has relied on Rachel for everything. Quinn had lived with Rachel during her pregnancy and, though her mother took her back, Quinn still thought Rachel's home was her home. Rachel supported Quinn has she worked out and got back into shape, as she tried to regain her life.

Rachel helped Quinn realize that going back to being a cheerio wasn't necessary. And so all of Quinn's junior year was spent with Rachel helping Quinn get back on top while she changed her life in a new direction, preparing to graduate McKinley in 2011 and go to Harvard law school.

But that was last year. It was finally the summer before their senior year, and Quinn knew she had to repay Rachel for everything she has done for her.

Not because Quinn had taken so much of her-though that was partially it. Not because Quinn had made a promise to Rachel the day they met-though that was also a part of it.

Quinn had to be there for Rachel now...

Because Rachel didn't have much time left...

**xxx**

**Sorry if that was sort of a drag; I'm trying to "set the scene of the story". Anyway, I just thought I'd give you a bit of background on their friendship (though I gave you some in the A/N above as well). This story is really AU. I'm not sure how you guys feel about that, but I think it's easier to write without worrying what will happen in the show and how that'll fit with your story. So yeah. **

**Anwyay, thank you guys for reading and I can't wait to hear what you have to say. To be safe, and since I usually update this way, I'm updating atleast two chapters and it'll probably always be two chapters updated (unless I'm so busy I can only do one). Sometimes it's three. Really just depends. **

**I hope you guys continue to enjoy the story. It'll be sad.**

**In the next chapter, we will find out what is the reason that Quinn must "repay" Rachel; why Rachel doesn't have "much time left". **

**I warned you, this is slightly tragic. Also, MOST of the Characters will be OOC (Quinn is nicer, Rachel is less overbearing, Puck is slightly jerkier though he has his moments, Finn will probably be the same though). The most OOC, and probably the most suprising, will be Sam. I'm very excited to introduce him at some point, but it's going to be a long time coming, so get pumped to see what Sam will be like. **

**Sorry for that ridiculously long note. lol. **

**~LadyO**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you guys again for reading this. I was originally hoping to just write a Fabrevans fic, but sometimes it's really hard because I don't want them to be just sugary, I want drama. So I decided instead to do a Faberry FRIENDSHIP fic and have the hints of Fabrevans as well as Finnchel and Quick. **

**Now, I'm a shipper of Fabrevans (Sam/Quinn) Finnchel (Finn/Rachel) Quick (Quinn/Puck) and Puckleberry (Puck/Rachel), so you'll get a ton of different stories from me of different couples. Right now, though, my fav ship is Sam/Quinn. They're just too sugary right now for a fic about them. So while I sort out my thoughts on them, this is what you get.**

**Alrighty then; this chapter introduces the sad plot of the story. I hope you guys enjoy. R & R and please no heavy crticism. **

**xxx**

**Chapter Two: Infected**

_ Quinn had to be there for Rachel now..._

_ Because Rachel didn't have much time left... _

**xxx**

Quinn hated the hospital. It was an erie place, and one that she never really visited growing up. She remembered always taking care of herself and making sure that she wouldn't get sick.

But she wasn't here for herself.

Quinn was here...For Rachel.

"Rach!" she sighed in relief when she came to the door of her best friend's hospital room. But her heart immediately sank when she noticed the girl, unconcious and seemingly broken, in her hospital bed.

Quinn fought the tears and walked over to where Leroy and Hiram, Rachel's fathers, were sitting. Their eyes were bloodshot and it looked as though they had been crying for days.

"Is she alright?" Quinn asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Hiram nodded and turned to look at Leroy. "Should we tell her?"

"I'm not sure. It's a bit early," Leroy responded.

"But she's Rachel's best friend. We've been keeping this from her for a while now," Hiram added with a pain stricken voice.

"Um, excuse me, what's going on?" Quinn asked, confused and aggrivated.

Leroy sighed, "Come with us."

Quinn wanted to protest, looking down at Rachel in a hospital gown, equiptment connected to her still and quiet body, the only noise that kept Quinn confident she was alive being the beeping that followed the rhythm of Rachel's heartbeat.

She decided not to protest and followed the two men outside. Hiram looked like he was about to break down into a huge fit of sobs and tears, but he kept it all in. Leroy stayed calm, though his moist eyes and weak voice betrayed him.

He let out a slow breath before turning to Quinn, "Rachel is sick. She's been sick for a long time, now. We've been keeping it from you, Quinn."

"Why? W-wh-what is she sick with?" Quinn found herself stuttering, something she thought made her look weak. She gulped and composed herself. "Is it serious?"

It grew silent, and Quinn knew that that confirmed her worst fears. "What is it?" she whispered.

Hiram finally gave in and began to sob. Leroy gulped rather audibly before saying, "When Rachel was 12 she was diagnosed with Leukemia. She's been surviving, but the doctors say it isn't looking good."

Quinn froze. Her whole body went numb, and it was as if the world stopped spinning. She wasn't concious of what was around her, the only thing going on in her mind was what Leroy had said.

_"When Rachel was 12 she was diagnosed with Leukemia. She's been surviving, but the doctors say it isn't looking good."_

There was one major thing going through Quinn's head as the statement lingered there: How did she not know?

Well, yeah, that explains why Rachel had shaved off her hair in the 7th grade and started wearing a wig, but she somehow convinced Quinn that she was "going through a phase". Rachel stopped showing up to school for a while, and stopped hanging out with Quinn for a while too, but Quinn was sure it was all because of that "phase". She also convinced Quinn that her leaving for a few months was for a semester at a Preforming Arts school.

Come to think of it, despite how close they were, Quinn and Rachel didn't spend much time together when they were in 7th and 8th grade...

And Quinn felt nasty about it...

"She kept this from me?" Quinn asked, pain evident in her weak whisper.

"She cared too much about you, Quinn. Your life was perfect at that time, you were training to be a Cheerio, you were much more popular. Rachel didn't want to ruin it for you. So she kept it a secret from you."

"Why'd you call me then?" Quinn said, rage growing in her voice. Her hands shook with anger, but she ignored them. "If she didn't want me to know, then why did you call me?"

"We had to. You're her friend, Quinn, her best friend! She needs you now more than ever," Hiram had responded. He had finally calmed down, but his body still shook from sobs and his voice was hoarse and weak.

Quinn felt her heart ache. Hiram was right, Quinn was Rachel's best friend and Rachel needed her. And she needed her now more than ever.

"What will happen to her?" Quinn finally asked. "What did the doctors say?"

It grew quiet.

"Well? She's going to live right?" Quinn shouted.

"Quinn?" a weak voiced called from the room behind them.

Quinn whirled around and saw Rachel, awake, in her hospital bed.

"Rach!" Quinn ran to her friend's side and grabbed her hand, squeezing tightly. "You okay? How're you feeling? Like shit?"

"Quinn...Language..." The girl was a bit weak, and couldn't speak well.

"But you're okay, right?" Quinn's eyes sparkled with tears.

Rachel nodded, "Yeah, I'm feeling okay. Dad, daddy? What did you tell her?"

"They told me everything, Rach," Quinn said, her voice had grown low and hardened.

Rachel nodded, understanding, "Could you leave the two of us alone?" Her fathers nodded and left the room, closing the door behind them.

"Damn it, Rach! How could you not tell me? How could you keep this from me for so long?" Quinn shouted angrily at her friend.

"I didn't want you to worry, Quinn," Rachel responded calmly.

"Well, too late, I'm worried!" The blonde replied, throwing her hands up in the air.

Quinn sunk back into her seat and looked away. It grew silent between them for a long moment.

Rachel was the one to break the silence, "It's done, Quinn. I don't have much time."

"Don't say that," Quinn murmured her reply. She turned to Rachel, tears already falling down her face, and grabbed her friend's hand, "Don't say that. It's never going to be over. Rach, you're going to survive this. I promise."

Rachel gulped, tears welling into her own eyes. "I've already fought this for five years Quinnie. It's time."

"Not until I say so," Quinn replied. She squeezed Rachel's hand tightly. "How long did the doctor say?"

"I have until the end of Summer," Rachel replied.

Summer had only begun. That left plenty of time for Rachel and Quinn.

"Then we have until then," Quinn said.

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked, whiping away stray tears from her face.

"We're going to make the best of this time, Rach. We're going to spend this whole summer, just you and me. It's not done until I say so."

"I can't let you give up the summer before Senior year to spend time with me," Rachel whined, "That's ridiculous!"

Quinn laughed. She leaned over and hugged her friend, burying her face into Rachel's dark hair-which had already grown out-and said, "What's ridiculous is you trying to convince me not to."

Rachel laughed in response. Then she weakily hugged the girl back.

"I love you, Quinn," Rachel replied, tears falling down her cheeks again.

"Love you too, Rachel," Quinn whispered her reply.

She stayed with Rachel for another hour before being kicked out of the hopsital. She walked into her car and started it up, but she couldn't drive away.

Now was the part where Quinn Fabray was supposed to break down and cry.

As she sobbed and the tears rolled down her cheeks, one thought came into Quinn's mind. Rachel never knew her mother. She had two gay dads, and they always said that Rachel was a blessing given to them by a sweet lady.

But she never knew who that lady was. Quinn whiped her eyes and thought for a moment. Rachel doesn't have much time... Shouldn't she spend it with the woman who had brought her here?

Quinn nodded. She had to go and find Rachel's mom. Rachel needed to know before she left this world.

**xxx**

**Sorry for this weak chapter. This isn't supposed to be one of the sad parts, this just introduces the tragedy that befalls the friends.**

**Thank you guys for reading, and I'll try to upload soon.**

**In the next chapter, Quinn will begin her search for Rachel's mom. This part is, admittedly, going to be fast, but Quinn has her reasoning. Quinn is trying to make sure Rachel has a fun filled summer before it's too late. **

**Puck will be in the next chapter, as well as Shelby. **

**Oh, and I've been researching Leukemia and the new survival rate is 5 years, amoungst adults and youth, with chemotherapy. So it does make sense that she, at 12, could live with Luekemia until she was 17. **

**And, as Quinn realized in this chapter that she and Rachel were not close for a bit. But since Rachel liked Quinn so much, she kept it a huge secret from her. **

**So the rest of the story will be about their last days together, all which will be spent forming a new family (with Shelby) and finding love (Rachel with Finn...But who will Quinn find it with? Sam or Puck? ;3 ). **

**~LadyO**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you guys for sticking with this. I'm sorry that I followed the first chapter with such a weak chapter. Second chapters are ALWAYS my worse. Anyway, let's continue. So here's what's going down: Puckasaurus will make an entrance and Quinn will find Shelby and contact her. I know, it may seem a bit early, but Quinn's desperate and there isn't much time for poor Rachel. We'll meet a couple of the New Directions kids as well.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Glee (forgot that in the previous chapter). **

**xxx**

**Chapter Three: Shelby Corcoran**

_ But she never knew who that lady was. Quinn whiped her eyes and thought for a moment. Rachel doesn't have much time... Shouldn't she spend it with the woman who had brought her here?_

_ Quinn nodded. She had to go and find Rachel's mom. Rachel needed to know before she left this world._

**xxx**

"So she's, like, dying?" Puck asked. He was with Quinn, in his truck, parked in her driveway. She had called him a few minutes earlier and asked him to come over, and he left in an instant. They hadn't left her house yet.

Quinn nodded, unable to speak. There was a lump in her throat and it was threatening her-daring her to open her mouth and let a sob escape.

"Aw, babe," Puck leaned over and pulled the blonde to his side, noticing her hurtful expression. She cried against his shoulder, hiding her face for him not to see. "It's okay. Everything's going to be okay." Puck tried to confort her, and it was really sweet, but it felt oddly wrong. She ignored that and grabbed a hold of him.

Puck took this as an invitation. He pushed her face up to face him and began to kiss her.

"Not now," Quinn whispered when he pulled away.

"This'll make you feel better, babe. Puck's garauntee," he said. He stopped her protests with another long and passionate kiss.

He held the kiss and pushed Quinn down against the seat, his hands already tugging the edge of her shirt up. His lips retreated to her neck, carressing her soft skin with his kisses.

"Puck, no please," she mumbled, "My parents are right in the house."

Puck didn't normally let the girl make the decisions in these kinds of things. He was a damn sex shark, and he needed to have it when it needed to have it, and now was the time!

But he respected Quinn, she was his baby mama after all. So he sat up and buckled himself back in, whiping away the traces of her lip gloss on his face. Quinn straightened up as well and then looked out her window.

"What're you going to do?" he asked.

"We're not having sex right now, Puck," she replied.

"Not about that! I mean about Berry. What're you going to do about Berry?" Puck turned to look at her.

She shrugged, biting her lip and fighting the tears that threatened to fall. Once she composed herself, she opened the door and climbed out. She turned to him one last time and said, "I'm going to make sure she has the best summer ever."

Puck sighed as he watched Quinn walk away. He can't believe it. The girl was sensitive and shit and she was sad about what was going on with her friend and he couldn't even take advantage of her? He couldn't even get a little bit of something from her? That's bull shit!

So he started up his truck and left, not eager to return any time soon.

Puck left Quinn's mind quickly, and she turned her attention back to her plans. She had to make this summer special for Rachel.

She knew Rachel always had a longing to know her mother. Quinn had to give that to her.

So, as soon as she got to her bedroom, she grabbed her phone and called the Berry home.

She impatiently paced as the phone rang. "Pick up, pick up, pick up!"

Finally the ringing stopped and she was met with a low voice on the other end, "Hello?"

"Leroy! It's me, Quinn."

"Oh, hello, Quinn. What can I do for you? Rachel is still at the hospital. They're letting her out tomorrow," he said.

"I know," Quinn gulped, "I just wanted to ask you something serious. I was...I was thinking..."

"Yes?" Leroy asked, a little impatient."

"No sense in beating around the bushes," Quinn murmured before saying, more clearly, "I need to know who Rachel's mom is."

The other side of the line was silent.

**xxx**

"Absolutely not!" Leroy said, heading behind the counter of his toy shop. Quinn had biked over to the store in hopes of convincing Leroy in person since he had refused to give her the information she wanted on the phone.

"But, Leroy-" she started, but he cut her off.

"Nuh-uh, I'm not going there, Quinn," he said.

"She needs to know her-She wants to know her!" Quinn cried.

"Quinn, Rachel doesn't know what she wants!" Leroy shouted in return.

"Oh come on, we both know that's a silly lie! Rachel has known everything she's ever wanted since she was a little girl! And she wants her mom! More than ever, I think, she really wants her mom," Quinn said, her voice softening towars the end of her statements.

Leroy paused. He had turned his back on Quinn and was sitting over a work bench where he would put the finishing touches on his toys.

Quinn whiped her eyes, now noticing the tears. Why is it that she's been crying so much?

Leroy sighed, turning to face Quinn, "Alright. I'll tell you. But you better be right about this. And...Whatever you're planning, Quinn, Hiram and I are coming along."

Quinn smiled, that small sweet smile of her's, "Wouldn't want it any other way."

Leroy laughed. Then his face straigthened and, before he turned away, he said, "Shelby Corcoran."

Quinn nodded, and then left.

She had to find Shelby Corcoran.

**xxx**

"Thank god for google," muttered Quinn.

"Thank god we like Rachel," responded Tina Cohen-Chang, one of Rachel's many glee pals. Quinn had invited them over to the local library in order to do some research. They had to find this Shelby Corcoran, and they had to find her fast.

The whole of New Directions was there; Tina and her quiet-toe-taping boyfriend Mike, Jesse was there, wheel chair bound Artie was there, Santana and Brit, reluctant joiners of glee, were also there, as well as Matt Rutherford and Quinn's boyfriend Puck, who was just sleeping in the chair across from her. She smiled and rolled her eyes at him. Puck had his jerky moments and his endearing ones, and watching him sleep was kind of cute.

"So she's going to die," Artie finally said.

Quinn felt her heart ping, but she had gotten over the idea that her friend wasn't going to be around as long as she had originally hoped. To the glee club, however, this was a new idea.

Mr. Schuester, who was the head of glee, was also present, helping the kids out. He nodded solemnly.

"The things she'll never do," Mike whispered.

"She'll never be the next Barbara Streisand," Matt added.

Jesse stood up, "Quit it, guys! Let's try and stay focused! We need to find this Shelby lady! It's the only way we can help Rachel enjoy the rest of her..." Jesse didn't want to say it, but they all knew what he meant. _The rest of her life_. After a brief pause, he shook his head, "What do we got so far?"

Quinn groaned, "Nothing."

"Don't give up, guys," Schue said, trying to stay calm. She could tell he was used to trying to keep the hopes of the glee kids up.

"Schue's right," Puck said, drousely. Sometime during Jesse's rant, the boy woke up. "Let's find her."

Quinn winked to her boyfriend and turned back to her computer. She was looking through some local newspaper archive, one that featured a Shelby Corcoran. She clicked on the link to the article and a picture popped up on the screen.

"Guys!" Quinn called. The others turned to her and came to her screen, each growing surprised as they looked at the image on the screen. "It has to be her," Quinn murmured.

The woman looking back at them looked like an older and seasoned-but still regally beautiful-Rachel Berry. The woman was Shelby Corcoran; she was in her mid thirties and was a beautiful woman, known for her voice. Shelby had been head of a glee club at a school in the area.

Now, Shelby Corcoran lives in Maine in her own oceanside home with her baby girl.

"This has to be Rachel's mom."

"Well, babe, what're you waiting for?" Puck said, leaning closer to Quinn. "Call her."

**xxx**

"Hello?" a female voice answered on the other line.

Quinn's heart skipped a beat. She had been calling the number the whole day but not once did anyone answer. She had heard the answering machine so many times, and could easily match this voice now with the one that kept reminding her that "Shelby Corcoran and Beth were not home right now, but you could leave a message after the beep."

"Hello? Hello? Is anyone there?" Shelby asked.

Quinn came back to reality and responded, "Oh, yes, sorry! I'm so glad I finally reached you!"

"You've been calling? Weird, I got no messages," Shelby said, her voice giving away the fact that Quinn was creeping her out.

"I'm sorry! I just thought I had to speak to you in person to convey my message," Quinn said.

"Oh, okay...Um, well, who are you again? I don't think you.." Shelby trailed off.

"Uh, no, I didn't tell you! I'm Quinn Fabray. I'm actually from Lima, and, um, do you know Rachel Berry?" Quinn asked, her heart beating fast to a nervous pace.

The other side of the line went silent.

"Um, Ms. Corcoran?" Quinn asked.

"...How do you know Rachel?" Shelby asked.

"I'm her best friend. Look, she'd like to meet you, and I want to arrange that," Quinn said.

"Do you know Leroy and Hiram?" Shelby asked.

"Yes, Ms. Corcoran. I know them very well. Listen, Rach isn't doing too well...You probably know, and I-" Quinn was cut off.

"No, I don't know anything about what's going on with Rachel. I let her go...And the agreement was I wouldn't pry until she's 18. As far as I know, she's 17. Therefore, we shouldn't be discussing this. Got it? Right, bye now!"

"No, wait!" Quinn shouted.

It grew silent again.

"Shelby? You still there?" Quinn asked.

Shelby groaned, "You told me to wait."

"You remind me of Rachel a bit..." Quinn laughed. "Look, I know that you can't technically meet her 'till she's 18, but you won't get to...This is your last chance."

"What are you talking about?" Shelby, a bit aggrivated.

"Ms. Corcoran...Rachel has been diagnosed with Leukemia. She's been battling it for five whole years now...But..." Quinn couldn't go on anymore. It grew silent between the two.

It hadn't been very hard to tell New Directions about Rachel...

But it was a whole differen't think to tell Shelby Corcoran, Rachel's mother and the woman who had never known her own daughter.

Quinn began to wonder what it would be like if she had to grow through this with the daughter that she had to give up.

Before Quinn's mind could wander in that direction, Shelby finally spoke, "Why are you calling me? Why were you so persistant to tell me that my daughter is dying?"

"Because...I want Rachel to have everything she could possibly need before she leaves. She needs you, she needs her mom..." Quinn stopped and fought the tears for the umpteenth time since finding out about Rachel.

"You're a great friend." Quinn laughed at that, giving her thanks. "Quinn...I want to see Rachel...But what are you planning?"

Quinn bit her lip before saying, "Ms. Corcoran...I was wondering if Rachel and I, along with her fathers of course, could come and spend the summer with you. I think Rachel should be surrounded by those she loves, her family. More than anyone, Rachel loves her dads, me...And you."

"Thank you, Quinn. I would be happy to have you over here. How soon can you come? I want to see my baby girl. I have a lot to catch up on," Shelby said.

Quinn thought for a moment. It was Monday...

"We'll be there on Thursday," she replied.

"Okay...Until then...Bye."

"Bye, Ms. Corcoran," Quinn said before hanging up the phone.

Quinn couldn't believe that in one phone call she managed to get Rachel's mother to trust her and to agree with her plan. Now she had to finalize the tickets with Leroy and Hiram, and then finalize the goodbye plan with the glee club.

Quinn yawned, officially tired. She changed into her pajamas and put her phone down on her night stand.

Before she went to bed, she turned to her side and grabbed the picture that was on the night stand. It was a picture of her and Rachel, the first day of 2nd grade. They were smiling and hugging. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she smiled, hugging the picture to herself. "Rach...Everything's going to be great...Just you wait and see."

Tomorrow was a big day, they would set up for Rachel's goodbye part and they would get ready for the trip.

This summer was going to be memorable...

More than Quinn knew...

**xxx**

**Yet again, not a great chapter, but we're getting to the good parts; the best parts are going to be when they go to Maine with Shelby and Beth (and, btw, Quinn doesn't know what her baby's name is or who has her, but you guys pretty much got it, I'm sure) ;) **

**Sorry that the New Directions weren't in there much. They're going to be in the next chapter, which is the goodbye party and they're going to sing. Yet again, they don't know that Quinn can sing yet. so the leads of the song are going to be Artie and Tina.**

**It's going to be a bit sad, I hope, since these last chapters weren't necessarily sad. But we'll see. x3**

**The goods, the drama, and the more sad parts will come when they get to Maine and while they're having the "best summer ever". **

**For now, we're setting the story and getting to the point.**

**Thank you guys for reading, and I hope you continue to enjoy it.**

**~LadyO**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Here's the fourth chapter and the last of the "premiere" chapters of this story. I decided to upload these four together in order to help set the story. The best parts-with the drama, sad parts and romance-will come after these chapters, starting in the next chapter when they go to live with Shelby for the summer. For now, we're getting the pre-show stuff. lol. **

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine's, except the concept. Sadly, Glee isn't mine, and neither is this wonderful song.. :( **

**If I owned Glee, Brittany would have her own corner, like Sue's corner, where she just says weird stuff. x3**

**this doesn't start with a line form the previous chapter like the other's have. That'll happen a few times. **

**xxx**

**Chapter Four: Goodbye Party**

Quinn sighed. They were sitting in the large dinning room of her family's home. She had just spent the last three hours of the day preparing for the party with everyone from New Directions. Well, everyone except for Artie, Tina and Mr. Schue, who were by the piano with Brad, practicing the lead vocals of the number they were presenting to Rachel.

"What's the song going to be?" Quinn asked Puck, who had just climbed down a ladder after helping Jesse with a banner.

He shrugged, "Some Boys to Men and Mariah Carey duet. It's supposed to be good for this sort of thing."

Quinn nodded, quickly figureing out which one Puck was talking about.

He snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her close, planting a kiss on her lips. "You sure you want to do this?"

"Why wouldn't I want to hold this party for my dying best friend?" Quinn asked, a perfectly arched brow raising in confusion.

Puck rolled his eyes, "I mean the trip! I thought this summer was about us figureing out where we stand after the whole baby thing."

Quinn slapped her forehead. How could she forget? She and Puck made the promise to really evaluate their relationship and discover where it was headed.

"Rachel's pretty important," Quinn replied in a low voice.

"Yeah, figures," he snorted. He began to walk away, but Quinn grabbed his wrist.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Rachel's number one in your world. It's like you're in love with her!"

"Please...Rachel and I are best friends, Puck. We've been that way since we were little," Quinn replied, folding her arms across her chest. "We're pratically sisters."

"Whatever," he murmured. "I just wish everything didn't revolve around her. And, seriously, after all we've been through! We had a fucking baby and we're totally cool! And yet it's still all about Rachel!"

Quinn was becoming aggrivated. She didn't want to spoil the party by fighting with Puck. Luckily, he was still being quiet and no one was noticing the little fight.

"Look," she started, rubbing her temples, "Rachel is very important to me...I don't know if you realized this yet, but she's DYING! Rachel isn't going to live much longer! And...And...And I can't let the rest of her life, however short it is, be nothing! I need to make it special..."

Puck wanted to shout, but Quinn was right. He hugged her again, "I'm sorry. I guess I don't want to accept that she's dying. Rach has been a good friend, even if I don't want to admit it..."

"Yeah...She has." Quinn was going to say more until Jesse motioned for Puck to join the rest of the choir in practice.

"Go...They need you. I'm going to talk to Rachel's dads anyway," she said. He nodded and pecked her lips before running to the piano.

Before she left, Quinn heard the choir singing and she couldn't help but think that listening to music won't be the same after Rachel's gone.

**xxx**

"What's going on?" Rachel asked. Quinn just smiled. It was good to see her best friend up and about. Rachel was definetly feeling more better and, though she was walking slowly, she looked practically herself, holding herself up and placing her hands on her hips. "Quinn? Where are you taking me?"

They were standing outside of Rachel's family's store and Quinn had just unlocked her red convertible. "We're going to my place, 'kay?"

"Yeah, but why?" Rachel asked.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "To have a Barbara movie marathon, duh."

"You hate Barbara," Rachel said.

"I've watched her with you before, Rach," Quinn rebounded.

"No you haven't! You've refused!" Rachel narrowed her eyes, "What's really going on?"

"Fine, Rach, I hate Streisand, but I know you like her and I thought it'd be nice," Quinn quickly replied. Rachel opened her mouth, but Quinn cut her off, "Rachel Barbara Berry, get in this damn car right now and let's go!"

Rachel sighed, having given up her interrogation for now, and climbed into the car. Quinn eased up a bit, when Rachel had turned to her and said, "Language."

Quinn just laughed and sped off.

It wasn't very long until they pulled into the Fabrays' driveway. Luckily everyone had moved their cars. But Rachel was still suspicious.

But none of Rachel's theories were proven correct when they stumbled into the party room and the whole of New Directions, along with Rachel's parents and Quinn's mother, Judy Fabray, shouted "Surprise!" to Rachel. They were all joined by Emma Pillsbury, the guidance counselor, as well.

"What the? What're you guys doing here?" Rachel asked, face burning red.

Jesse came to her side and put an arm around her shoulders. They weren't a couple anymore, but they were very close. "We did this for you."

Rachel smiled and turned to see a large banner that read, "We Love You Rachel, Thanks for making us 'Smile'! Goodbye!" Rachel knew what they meant by "Smile"; She sang the Charlie Chaplin song with the gang at their very first Sectionals. It won them first place, along with the rest of their set list.

"This is so sweet," she started but her words were lost in sobs. The whole group came around and engulfed her in a hug.

"We have another gift for you," Mr. Schuester said. He motioned to the kids, who all gathered over by the piano. "Brad?"

Brad began to play while Schue and Quinn stayed close to Rachel and then Arite rolled into view, starting the song.

_[Artie]:_

_Sorry I never told you _

_All I wanted to say _

_And now it's too late to hold you _

_'Cause you've flown away _

_So far away _

_Ayyy _

_[Tina:]_

_Never had I imagined _

_Living without your smile _

_Feeling and knowing you hear me _

_It keeps me alive _

_Alive _

_[all:]_

_And I know you're shining down on me from heaven _

_Like so many friends we've lost along the way _

_And I know eventually we'll be together _

_[Tina: Together]_

_One sweet day _

_[Tina:]_

_Evetually I'll see you in heaven... _

_[Artie:]_

_Although the sun will never shine the same _

_I'll always look to a brighter day _

_[Tina:] _

_Yeah _

_Lord I know when I lay me down to sleep _

_You will always listen as I pray _

_[all:] _

_And I know you're shining down on me from heaven _

_Like so many friends we've lost along the way _

_And I know eventually we'll be together _

_[Tina:] Together_

_One sweet day _

_[all:]_

_And I know you're shining down on me from heaven _

_Like so many friends we've lost along the way _

_And I know eventually we'll be together _

_[Tina:] Together_

_One sweet day _

_[Tina:] Sorry I never told you (oooh) _

_[Jesse:] All I wanted to say_

There was en eruption of applause from the guests, especially Rachel who was smiling her mega watt smile through her tears.

Quinn hugged her friend closely before moving back and allowing her glee friends to come in and give her hugs and say things. They were all in a close huddle for a long time, tears streaming down all of their faces-even Santana and Brittany-as they cherished their last moments with their star.

Quinn smiled, glad to see Rachel surrounded by her glee friends at this time. This would be their last night together. Leroy and Hiram agreed that Rachel should spend the rest of her days with her family, that included Quinn.

Mr. Schuester had finally pulled away from an embrace with Rachel, his eyes red and puffy from crying. "We're going to miss you Rachel."

"It's official. The New Directions will dedicate every performance to you, Rach," Puck said. He drew Rach into a huge hug. Though neither would like to admit it, ever since that childhood incident with Barbara, they had grown close.

"Thank you, Noah. I'll hold you up for it when I'm watching you guys from heaven," she said, kissing his cheek.

Puck smiled back before whispering a "thank you", though Rachel didn't know what he was thanking her for.

The last to hug Rachel was Jesse, and they just held onto each other, not saying a word.

Finally, they pulled apart and Jesse said, "Goodbye my love. You were my very first, you know."

Rachel smiled, "You too."

**xxx**

Quinn had to admit that the one thing that really stumped her was how well Rachel was taking all of this. This was her goodbye party, her goodbye to the world party. After this, Rachel Berry will be nothing more than a great memory to these kids.

Rachel knew that they were telling her "goodbye" because she was going to die, heck, Rachel knew she was going to die, but she was totally cool.

Could that be considered unhealthy?

"Quinn," Rachel's calm voice pulled the blonde out of her thoughts.

She turned to smile at her friend, who took a seat beside her on a bench. She was holding onto a card that New Directions had made for her. Brittany and Santana were the great minds behind the whole design and the one liner of the card-one that said "The Angel With the Voice of an Angel; Go Make Those Holy Bitches Jealous".

"Quinn...Why is everyone telling me 'goodbye' so early?" Rachel looked to her friend.

Quinn had a hard time holding Rachel's stare as she said, "Because this is probably their last chance."

"Why would you say that? I'm not dying tomorrow, Quinn. More like a couple months from now," Rachel snorted, but she had an amused grin on her face. Why did she have to take this all so well?

"Because you're leaving Lima on Thursday," Quinn responded calmly.

Rachel's head snapped in her direction. "Leaving Lima on Thursday? Says who?"

"Me. Well, your dads and me. We're taking you away so that you can enjoy your last summer," Quinn responded.

Suddenly Rachel burst into tears. Quinn rubbed her back comfortingly as she explained, "Rach...There's someone that we think you should meet. Someone you should spend the rest of your life near."

The girl looked up into her friend's eyes, "But I want to spend it with you guys."

Quinn smiled, "I'll be there...And Mr. Schuester is encouraging the others to come and visit us this summer...But this person is very important, I think."

"Who is it? Some specialist? Quinn, I'm ready to die, okay!" Rachel nearly growled back to her.

Quinn rolled her eyes, "No. It's someone more 'special'."

Rachel glared at her friend, "Who is it?"

"It's...It's your mom, Rach. We're going to meet Shelby Corcoran," Quinn replied.

That was when Rachel Berry fainted.

**xxx**

**Thank you guys for reading this story. Now we're pass the "pre-sho" premiere chapters as I like to call them, and we're getting ready to go and meet Shelby and Beth. This is where the story picks up.**

**Coming next, we meet Shelby and her baby, Beth. Then we meet Shelby's two assisstants and then we meet Shelby's nephew and his friend. Who they each are, you wonder? Well, you'll find out in the next chapter. x3**

**Btw, this isn't the last you'll see of the New Directions kids; well...I'm not sure...They may appear later. Haven't decided yet. **

**Well, I hope you guys continue to enjoy and thank you for reading to so far.**

**Oh, the song is "One Sweet Day" by Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey. I just thought it'd be cute. Sorry if you don't think it fits or something. There won't be many "song" scenes but there will be some. I can tell you that Quinn will have a really heartfelt one; it'll be the first time she's ever sang in public, so yeah. But that's WAYYY later!**

**~LadyO**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Wasn't planning on update so soon, but I'm really glad to see so many people have added the story to their alerts or favorites. That's really great. Please leave a reveiw though. Even if it's just "yay" or a huge thing that could rival my author notes, it would mean the world to me no matter what. If you do...I promise that Blaine will serenade you and be your "Teenage Dream Tonight"...Actually I can't garauntee that since I don't own glee or, sadly, Darren Criss/Blaine. If I did, he'd be tied up in my closet until I needed him to sing to me...Yes...I'm a creeper...**

**Alright, now that we're done with the "pre-show" chapters, we'll get moving along to the good stuff. Basically, things won't be rushed from here on like they were for the last four chapters. **

**So then, let's review: Quinn and Rachel are BFF's-except there was this time, as Quinn recalled, where they weren't really. Now Quinn finds out that Rachel has been living with Leukemia for the past 5 years and has somehow kept it from her (and if she knew Finn; she'd probably feel stupid like him). Quinn convinced her dads to let her find Shelby, Rachel's mom, so that Rachel can spend time with her mom before she dies. Then she and Rachel's friends from glee club plan a huge goodbye party, but Rachel is confused why everyone is saying it so early. Quinn revealed to Rachel that they're going to go and spend summer with Rachel's biological mom and then Rachel faints.**

**So that's what you missed last time on ****Glee!**** One Last Summer! *cue acapella singers* **_**Glee!**_

**As usual, I own NOTHING. :( Thanks for reading and enjoy!**

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! I'm just aching to know what you're thinking. Just be gentle; this is my first Glee fic AND my first fic that's like this (I'm more of a fantasy/sci-fi/romance/humor kind of writer, so this is way new).**

**xxx**

**Chapter Five: Welcome to Maine**

Quinn repressed the urge to giggle at Rachel as the girl stared out of the window of the plane. Rachel hadn't been in a plane before, and it scared the shit out of her.

"When're we going down?" she asked, paranoid.

"It a bit," Quinn would say. She enjoyed watching her paranoid friend.

"Look, I know I'm dieing and such, but did you have to take me on a plane? You know I have a fear of heights!" Rachel groaned.

"Don't say it like that, Rach," Quinn said, "Besides, we're landing really soon.

Luckily for both of them, they did land momentarily. Rachel was becoming more annoying throughout the ride and Quinn was sure she was going mad. The brunette had all but changed when they landed.

"Is Shelby coming to see us?" Rachel asked. She didn't know what Shelby looked like or anything, but she was very excited to meet her.

"Yeah, she just texted me. She's waiting outside," Quinn said. Leroy and Hiram went to grab their bags from baggage claim while Quinn and Rachel took their carry-on's and went outside to meet with Shelby.

They looked around at the busy streets outside the airport in search for the woman. Suddenly Quinn noticed a figure, one that looked exactly like the woman from the picture. Rachel's attention was elsewhere until Quinn grabbed her hand and urged her to follow.

Shelby was looking around until she noticed the two girls approaching her. She covered her mouth as her eyes watered and she took in the sight before her. The brunette girl looked exactly like her, except her hair was shorter and she, of course, was a bit more youthful, but she was still a spitting image of her.

The blonde girl walked ahead of the stunned brunette and reached out to Shelby. She grabbed the girl's hand as the girl introduced herself, and she instantly recognized the voice, "Hey there Shelby. I'm Quinn Fabray, we talked on the phone? May I introduce you to your daughter, Rachel Berry."

Quinn grabbed Rachel and pushed her infront of her and towards Shelby.

There were no words between the two before they finally fell into each other's embrace, tears streaming down their faces.

"You're my daughter," Shelby said, voice shaken by tears.

"You're my mom," Rachel responded in a similar tone.

"So now you've met Shelby," Hiram said as he approached the trio.

"Oh Hiram! Leroy!" Shelby walked passed Rachel and wrapped her arms around them. "It's been so long!"

"Too long," Leroy said.

"You two have gotten old," she laughed, pulling at their cheeks.

"Yeah, thanks, Shelbs," Hiram laughed in return. "So then, why don't we get out of here?"

"Oh, yes," Shelby said, wrapping an arm around Rachel. "Rach, I'm so excited to get to know you. We're going to have so much fun together!"

Rachel couldn't speak, she just started crying. Quinn rubbed her friend's shoulder and smiled to Shelby.

Once they were in the car, Shelby turned to the girls, who had taken up the middle row while Hiram took passenger seat and Leroy took the very back with all the bags, and said, "Now, don't worry girls, you won't be stuck with the old hags like us-" she cackled with Hiram and Leroy before continueing "-I've invited some kids around. They usually come to help me out, but this time they're just going to keep you company. I think you'll like them."

"Who are they?" Rachel asked while Quinn squeezed her hand in excitement.

"Well, two of them are my super cool assisstants. They're a really great duo, you'll seriously enjoy them. They'll be your favorite girlfriends out here...Well...Sort of." Shelby smiled at her own statement, causing Quinn to wonder.

"And the others?" Rachel asked.

"The other two are very special to me. In fact, one of them is my nephew. Do you know what that means, Rach? He's your cousin. He's very dear to me. He'll be stopping by a bit later with his friend. You'll like those two."

"They both boys?" Leroy asked in a rather protective tone.

"Yes, Lee, but don't worry about them. Though...I guess they will be your closest 'boyfriends' out here," Shelby giggled and winked at the girls through her rear view mirror.

The two blushed, Hiram laughed, and Leroy angrily shouted, "Shelbs! What do you mean by that? This isn't a hookup vacation!"

Shelby laughed, "Don't worry about that...Though I'm not to blame if something happens, you know." She winked to the girls again.

"No worries there," Quinn said, leaning back into her chair, "I've got a boyfriend back at home."

"And this is all about me and you guys, Shelbs," Rachel said, quickly adapting the nickname.

"That's alright right with me, Rach, so long as you call me 'Mom'," Shelby replied. "As for you, Quinn Fabray, I wouldn't say that...You never know, you just might get charmed out here. Both of you."

Quinn rolled her eyes and gave Shelby a small smile, "Whatever you say, Shelby."

**xxx**

The drive from the airport to Shelby's house was about twenty minutes. Along the way they saw the adorable port-like New England town where Shelby said they would probably spend most of their time.

When they finally arrived at the house, they were met by what Shelby considered a rather "pleasant surprise". There was a small yellow volkswagon beetle convertible parked outside of the house. Who was leaning on it was the pleasant surprise.

The first of the figures was a slightly heavy set black girl. The way she twisted a strand of straight dark hair around her finger read "attitude"...Well, that and her shirt.

The other figure was a bit more of a surprise to the two girls. He was a short, but thin, boy who had feminine features and bright blue eyes. He was smoothing out his already-perfectly-in-place hair while looking into a mirror.

Both Quinn and Rachel had to admit that the pair was very fashionably dressed.

The two figures perked up once they noticed the car driving up. Once the car was parked, Shelby had emerged first, collapsing onto the pair and giving them a huge hug.

"Oh Shelby please!" yelped the boy with a rather girlish soprano voice.

"Damn girl, you got some strength. Now why don't you get off of us?" the black girl then said.

Shelby turned around and wrapped an arm around each of the figures. "Guys," she started as the four others emerged from the car, "These are those totally awesome 'girlfriends' I was telling you about. Meet Mercedes-" she nodded towards the black girl who said, "hey" "-And this is Kurt." Shelby nodded to the boy, who waved and smiled at them.

"Guys," Shelby now turned her attention to her two fashionable pals, "This is my family from Ohio. Meet Quinn Fabray, Hiram and Leroy Berry," Shelby paused before leaving the two and going to her daughter's side. "And this is my daughter, Rachel."

"It's a real pleasure to make your accquaintences," Rachel said, reacher her hand and shaking each of theirs.

"My god, you look exactly like your amazing mother, Rachel," Kurt said, looking almost star struck.

"Yeah, like damn girl, you look exactly like Shelbs," Mercedes agreed.

Everyone just laughed at the two.

Quinn was the first to comment on Shelby's "girlfriends" line. "Girlfriends?"

Kurt laughed, "I should probably come with a disclaimer. I'm gay."

"Oh," Quinn blushed, a bit embarassed.

"Don't worry about it, it's cool. If anything, it makes me special," replied Kurt, winking.

"Well then, let's get inside," Shelby said. "Now, which one of you drama queens is going to help out with the bags?" She turned to her assisstants.

"Oh hell-to-the-nah," Mercedes said, while laughing a bit, "I just got a manicure." She showed off her nails.

Kurt waved his thin arms, "No muscle. Usually I just charm people into helping me."

Shelby laughed before grabbing a couple bags with Hiram and Leroy and heading inside.

They sat inside and laughed while Shelby made some lemonade. According to what they learned from Kurt and Mercedes Shelby was a work-at-home fashion designer and Kurt and Mercedes were her two really awesome assisstants, and that she had a baby...

...A baby that started wailing almost on cue.

"Oh, baby! I should go and check on her. Kurt, 'Cedes, I expect you to keep everyone company while I'm gone, 'kay?" Shelby said. She dissapeared behind the living room door, but then came back. "Don't say anything you'll regret. In other words, one bad word about me and I'll hurt you."

Everyone laughed as Shelby dissapeared again.

It wasn't long before Shelby reappeared with a beautiful baby girl in her arms. Rachel immediately ran to her side, with Quinn not too far behind, to get a peek at the baby.

"She's gorgeous," Rachel whispered, looking at the beautiful little girl. She was chubby and had perfect porcelain skin. Atop her round head was a huge chunk of dark blonde curls.

"Isn't she? Her name is Beth," Shelby said, taking a seat. The girls had taken a seat on either side of Shelby on her couch. "I adopted Beth back in Ohio. Someone had given her up, so she's mine now."

"She's beautiful," Quinn said. She tried not to show it, but somewhere deep inside Quinn was breaking as she looked at the baby. A part of her wondered what her own daughter looked like now, whether she was as beautiful as this baby.

Though Quinn tried to hide it, Rachel could tell what she felt inside.

"Say, when is my cousin coming around?" Rachel asked, hoping to drag the conversation elsewhere.

Quinn caught her drift and followed along, smiling and turning her attention to Shelby.

Kurt seemed to have perked at the mention of Rachel's cousin. "They're coming over?" he asked, a smile evident in his voice.

"Yes," Shelby said. "They should be here in a bit, actually..."

Shelby trailed off and there was the sound of a car horn outside. "Speak of the devils."

She got up and put Beth into Kurt's outstretched arms-Kurt had said something along the lines of "come to Uncle Kurt"-and then headed towards the foyer and front door. Everyone followed, Quinn and Rachel standing the closest to Shelby in the progression.

Before Shelby opened the door, she turned to face Rachel, Quinn, Hiram and Leroy. "There's something you need to know about your cousin, Rach. He's..._Different_."

"How so?" Rachel asked, exchanging a strange glance with Quinn.

"It's not bad, but you have to take caution and be a bit sensitive. He's very special to me, and I hope you'll become close to him." Shelby was speaking to them with a very sincere and serious voice.

Quinn and Rachel looked to each other once more before nodding.

Once outside, they saw a black pick up truck drive up onto the gravel drive way. Shelby's house was up on a beautiful hill, and she owned tons of land around it, and sat just outside of town.

"There's my two favorite guys!" Shelby said as the driver's seat opened.

Rachel's whole body froze and she began to rethink her original hypothesis that "love at first sight" did not exist because she was sure that's what she felt when the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life climbed out of the cab. He was very tall and broad shouldered with dark, short hair and the most beautiful pair of chesnut brown eyes she'd ever seen.

The boy sported a huge and goofy grin as he greeted Shelby, "Hey, Shelbs!"

"Hey!" She hugged the boy briefly before pulling back. "Where's my favorite nephew?" Rachel felt a sigh of relief when she realized the handsome boy wasn't her cousin.

But her heart tightened when the boy's smile dissapeared and was replaced with a frown. "Look, before you get mad at me, it really wasn't my fault."

"Finn Hudson, what did you do to my beautiful nephew?" Shelby glared at him.

"Ooo, Uncle Finny's in trouble, isn't he Beth?" Kurt said in a baby voice to the blonde girl he was bouncing in his arms.

"Hell yeah he is," Shelby said, heading to the passanger door of the black truck.

Finn lowered his head in defeat as Shelby opened the door, quickly changing from the icy angry bitch to a sweet warm mother figure. "Sammy! Sammy, sweetheart, I'm so happy to see you!"

Shelby reached into the vehicle and hugged the person inside.

As Shelby did this, Finn turned his attention back to Shelby's new friends. "I'm Finn," he said.

"I'm Rachel, Shelby's long-lost daughter, I suppose," she giggled as she shook his hand. The others introduced themselves to Finn as well.

But he had his eyes on Rachel. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. Welcome to Maine!"

Shelby was still leaning into the passanger side of the truck. She finally pulled away and began to help the person out.

Quinn and Rachel tried to be calm. They were told by Shelby that he was "different" and "special" and that they needed to treat this meeting rather "sensitively". Quinn's mind was swirling with what could possibly be wrong with Rachel's cousin. Rapist, murderer, teen dad (how hypocritical to think that way, Quinn), suicidal, emo, and the list goes on and on...

But all of those dissapeared and Shelby walked towards them, an arm wrapped around a tall and thin boy with messy light brown hair-hair that was so thick and shaggy that it covered his eyes. The boy was looking down and Quinn felt that the way the boy walked was slightly "off". Was he crippled?

"Rachel, Quinn, Lee, Hiram," she named them each slowly and quietly as she walked the boy over, "This is my beloved nephew, Sam Evans. Sammy? You want to say 'hi'? Do you want to meet Rachel, your cousin?"

The boy stayed quiet and then nodded. He then looked up, he was pouting but his bright blue eyes looked sweet and passionate.

"Go on, say 'hi'," Shelby said, rubbing the boy's shoulders.

"H-h-hi...I...I'm S-s-s-sam," he said, nodding his head slightly. Sam looked at Shelby with a slightly confused look.

"Great, babe," she said before kissing his forehead. "Let's get inside everyone."

It suddenly hit Quinn. Sam was different, but not in the ways she feared or thought. Sam was just a sweet and innocent and slightly mentally challanged boy. She blushed, embarrassed by all of her previous accusations. Luckily no one noticed her crimson cheeks.

"Hello, Sam, I'm your cousin, Rachel," Rachel said, walking towards the brunette boy who was still encircled in Shelby's arms. "May I hug him? I've never had a cousin."

"Of course," Shelby said. "Now, Sammy, your cousin just wants a hug, okay?"

Sam just nodded before Shelby let him go. Both Shelby and Finn lingered by the boy protectively as he staggered forward to hug Rachel.

Rachel sighed and leaned her head on her cousin's shoulder. He was a bit stronger than she expected from what seemed to be a teenage boy stricken with a slightly sensitive mental handicap.

"H-h-hello, R-rachel," he stuttered against her hair.

She pulled back and smiled at him. Sadly, the boy didn't return the smile, he just pouted.

Shelby put an arm around the boy again, who looked at his feet, and said, "Sammy? What's wrong?"

The boy didn't respond.

"Finn?" she turned her attention on the other boy, growing cold again.

"I told you it wasn't my fault!" he quickly said.

"What happened?"

"I kind of, sort of...Left the tv on and fell asleep on the couch...It was on the movie channels...And Sam was still up..." He winced, waiting for her reaction.

"Finn! What did he watch? Nothing pornographic I hope!" Shelby hugged Sam tighter. Sam had looked up and his eyes had caught Quinn, holding her gaze blankly. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, and looked away, reverting her attention to the baby in Kurt's arms.

"No, nothing like that, Shelbs...But I couldn't save him from watching 'I Am Sam'," Finn finally admitted, looking away.

"Finn!" Shelby shouted. She hugged Sam again. "Oh, Sammy, don't let that movie bother you. Come on guys, let's go inside."

Shelby, along with Sam, led the progression back inside the house. Quinn walked with Kurt and Mercedes, who were playing with the baby, while Rachel walked behind her dads.

Finn had fallen into step beside her and smiled, "I hope you're not mad at me for doing that to your cousin. I really care about Sam, he's my best friend. I seriously didn't mean for that to happen."

"Don't worry...It's cool," Rachel replied, smiling to him.

As the two walked into the house, Rachel couldn't help but recall how Shelby had said that they might be "charmed" while here.

Maybe Shelby was right...

**xxx**

**Ah! There you go. I admittedly made this chapter longer so that I could introduce everyone in Shelby's life here! I know I kind of down played Beth, but she'll be in it more later.**

**Shelby, by the way, has a knack for foreshadowing. lol.**

**Oh, and she and Leroy and Hiram know each other; they have for quite a while. So they'll have these kind of Donna/Rosie/Tanya (the three ladies from Mamma Mia!) moments throughout the whole story. Heck...Maybe they'll sing together. :3 My original plan was to make it lesbian moms, but I liked the gay dads better since it helps with the whole "yearning for a mom" thing, but I couldn't keep away from the possible Mamma Mia like scenes. Sorry if that sounds really dumb... **

**Now, I told you guys that Sam would be VERY OOC (and the whole lemon juice/blonde hair thing will happen, so he won't stay with the light brown hair for that long; I have a very cute idea for it.). I originally wanted to write a fic where Sam's dyslexia would be a factor in bringing him closer to Quinn, but I thought that, for this story, it would be interesting to protray him as someone who is mentally challanged (and I use that word and upcoming phrases in the most sensitive of ways; This will be an intriguing and very important point through out Quinn's part in this story). I got the idea from the movie "Pumpkin"-if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it-in which a beautiful girl falls for a mentally challanged boy and everyone they know is against it. But it won't really be that way in this one, and we don't really know if Quinn will fall for Sam ;)**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and please Review! It would be really nice.**

**So then, now we've met Shelby, Beth, Kurt, Mercedes, Finn and Sam. And this is the start of their summer vacation. Next chapter: Expect the start of some romance and the start to Quinn and Rachel's last and memorable summer together.**

**btw, Rachel's hair is a bit shorter since she had grown it back from going through chemo a while back. She might end up shaving it all of again. Who knows?**

**Oh, and wasn't that episode of glee just AMAZING! The Fabrevansness drove me insane with happiness! My shipper heart is throbbing in joy. lol.**

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! I'd love you forever if you do.**

**~LadyO**


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